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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25400659">Dancin'</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/for_steggy/pseuds/Miss_Katherine'>Miss_Katherine (for_steggy)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Captain America (Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Day 2, F/M, SteggyWeek20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 07:07:05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,809</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25400659</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/for_steggy/pseuds/Miss_Katherine</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It may not be the Stork Club 8 O’clock, but it is the right partner.<br/>Aka, Peggy teaches Steve how to dance.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Peggy Carter/Steve Rogers</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>45</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Dancin'</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>For day 2 of Steggy week: tropes, cliches and symbols.<br/>I just love editing once I've posted, don't you?</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>It ended up taking the better part of two weeks for Steve to get back to base from the icy tundra off the coast of Greenland, and when he finally did arrive he was immediately pulled away to greet what seemed to be every member of personnel within a hundred mile vicinity, much to his chagrin. He barely had a chance to say two words to Peggy between it all.</p><p>Once, on the first day, he spotted her watching him from the corner of the command tent where they had all gathered for a reiteration of events. As he told the story and eventually came to the part where the plane's controls were blown, he thought he saw her lip tremble for a brief moment, but it was gone just as quickly. When Steve glanced back at her a moment later she had disappeared. A half an hour later when she came back her eyes were red rimmed in an otherwise composed face.</p><p>He thought about going after her. It wouldn't have been hard to find her on an excuse and sneak into a closet to talk. But she looked so stern. Steve knew on some level that it was because she needed to protect herself from appearing weak. He understood that, he did. So for two whole days he let her skirt around him while he placated senators and generals and wide eyed recruits. There had been only a few fleeting and mostly interrupted glances when she finally cornered him outside of Stark’s lab.</p><p>“Captain,” she greeted formally.</p><p>“Agent,” Steve acknowledged.</p><p>She straightened her back. “It seems you missed the check point on our last mission’s rendezvous.”</p><p>Ah. “Uh, yes. It seems I did.”</p><p>“Well then, I suppose you’ll just have to put in a few hours overtime. Saturday, 0200?”</p><p>“Yes ma’am,” he nodded.</p><p>She turned sharply and walked off.</p><p>Steve finally let a small smile tug at his lips. Saturday it was.</p><p>*</p><p>By the time their date rolled around the Captain figured he’d waited just about long enough for that dance. Give or take a few years.</p><p>He met Peggy outside the mostly empty building where her private quarters were located. The only other time he had seen her outside of military garb was the night of victory at the pub, and she looked just as good, if not quite as fancy now in a blue swing dress. Steve idly wondered if it would spin when they danced. (He hoped it would.)</p><p>He swallowed with an, “Agent Carter,” and unknowingly ran a hand over the flop of hair that had taken most of the morning to slick down.</p><p>“Just Peggy today,” she smiled at him with a look that was far gentler than any he’d seen on her lately. “Let’s get a move on, shall we?”</p><p>Steve didn't think he could possibly agree with anything more. “Of course,” he gestured. “Lead the way.”</p><p>*</p><p>“Relax, you’re too stiff.”</p><p>“Clearly I’m not great at this.”</p><p>Peggy had managed to break them into an old school gymnasium (which, she confided, was where she used to go to primary school) and somehow scrounged up a record player with some snappy, if a few years out of date music. It wasn't the Stork Club, which had unfortunately suffered damages the week prior (which was what Steve got for being late, Peggy informed him with a sniff), but to him it was just as good. Any place he could dance with Peggy was basically the Ritz.</p><p>“Nonsense," she told him. "You can fight, you can certainly manage this. Just stop overthinking it.”</p><p>Steve flushed slightly, and she let out a little exasperated sigh and rested her hands on her hips.“I <em>know</em> you can do this.”</p><p>“How?”</p><p>Peggy grinned. “Because I’m your partner. And I’m not about to let you quit so fast, Captain.”</p><p>At the implication that he might be giving up Steve’s jaw set predictably, and Peggy could work with that.</p><p>“Here,” she brought his hand up again, fitting their palms together. “Now stop focusing on the steps and just keep your eyes on mine.”</p><p>Steve’s cheeks reddened further, which he hadn't known was possible before -- he was staring the most beautiful girl in the world dead in the eye while making an absolute fool of himself.</p><p>They began to move jauntily, not quite in time to the music and Peggy could practically see him counting <em>one two three four, one two three four </em>over and over again in his head. At least he wasn't glancing at his shoes, though it seemed to be taking every ounce of concentration not to. “Good,” she encouraged with a reassuring smile. “If it helps at all, you can imagine it a bit like sparring. The goal isn't to perform a certain set of moves, but to guide the flow, anticipate the next turn. Only the object now is to move harmoniously instead of in opposition.”</p><p>Sparring with Peggy Carter was an idea in itself, but Steve pushed the thought away quickly and let her words sink in and relax him; He loosened his stance and let the tension ease out of his arms.</p><p>“Brilliant,” Peggy beamed up at him.</p><p>A lopsided grin formed on his face.</p><p>“Now add some force.”</p><p>He promptly stepped on her toes. “What?”</p><p>“No, no. Go back to before, you were doing wonderfully.”</p><p>It took him a moment to regain the rhythm.</p><p>“There, now you've got it. Now start to lead.”</p><p>“Thought I was leading,” Steve mumbled.</p><p>“Well I’m a good follow,” Peggy winked. “But it’s easier for both of us if your grip is firmer, like this--“ She quickly changed their positions and maneuvered him before he even had time to think.</p><p>Steve looked up at her, impressed. “How did you—?”</p><p>She laughed, because the idea that anyone could move Captain America unwillingly was utterly ridiculous—Steve only let her because he didn't have the instinct not to.</p><p>“Here,” she showed him, assuming the lead and gripping his shoulder lightly. Peggy gave a firm pull, bringing him along with her as she took a step back. She let go and waved at him, “Go on, try it.”</p><p>Steve shifted uncomfortably. “Won’t I, you know…hurt you?”</p><p>Peggy gave him a square, challenging look.</p><p>He digressed.</p><p>They tried again and this time Steve steered her shoulder like she showed him. She was right, as usual. It <em>was</em> easier.</p><p>They kept going faster and faster, and with each new turn Peggy’s rarely heard laughter bubbled up more and her smile stretched wider. Steve was pretty sure his face looked ridiculous at this point.</p><p>“Now add a spin!”</p><p>He faltered a step. “A what?”</p><p>“A spin!”</p><p>“I…”</p><p>“Oh come on!” Peggy looked up at him impatiently.</p><p>Steve hesitated for another half a second before spinning her out and back in, only to find that on return he tugged a little too hard, and she went a little too fast, running palms first into his chest.</p><p>“Oh gee. Sorry.” He rubbed at the back of his neck awkwardly.</p><p>Peggy lifted her head from the middle of his chest with a radiant smile. “Not exactly what I’d had in mind, but it’s quite alright. In fact I think that was the best one yet.”</p><p>Her hair was mussed and her color high. It was tempting, right then, to kiss her. Peggy looked at him for long enough that Steve almost thought he might. She had kissed him before on top of the car, after all, and it only seemed fair game to return the favor. However, he didn’t know if it was strictly polite to try that sort of thing before it was even the end of the evening. He reluctantly let go of her.</p><p>Peggy let out a suspicious sounding sigh and cleared her throat. “Well then,” she held out her hand. “Another go?”</p><p>Steve grinned and took it.</p><p>*</p><p>He was declared “fairly good” by the end of the night, at least by Peggy’s standards. Steve smiled self-deprecatingly when she said so, even though he was tempted to point out that it was probably another benefit of the serum, which gave enhanced muscle memory. He had a feeling Peggy would try to argue the point.</p><p>They walked back to base under the glow of the moon, Peggy's arm tucked into his. It was all very surreal. He had been dreaming of this exact scenario for so long, and now it was here normal as anything.</p><p>And then they reached the door all too soon. Peggy turned to face him. He swallowed.</p><p>The dreaded end of the night. Bucky had always warned him about this part, told him that it could make or break the whole date. Steve thought he’d done okay so far, and he didn't think that after all this time Peggy would be scared off by one failed date, but a fella never knew. At least his past experience with women had told him that he was absolutely clueless in this area. But hopefully Peggy liked that about him anyway. And now was the moment of truth. This was when he was supposed to… Or at least he was allowed to try to…</p><p>It wasn't as if they were dancing, in the heat of the moment when it seemed so easy and natural to just lean down and, well. Now it was silent and dark and seemed unnatural. Steve racked his mind for something to say, which was unfortunately incredulously blank. Which was terribly inconvenient because Peggy was obviously waiting for him to say or do something.</p><p>“Well?” she prompted after a moment.</p><p>“Huh?” he asked, jarred out of his stupor.</p><p>“Were you planning on kissing me tonight or not? I’ve been waiting, oh,” she glanced at her wristwatch, “all day.”</p><p>“Really?” Steve asked, sounding stupid even to his own ears.</p><p>She nodded. “Yes. Were you not going to?”</p><p>“Never said that,” he grinned finally, and then figured he ought to take what was probably the opening of the century, one so clear that it wasn't lost on even him. And it wasn't polite to keep a lady waiting after all, especially not on a first date.</p><p>Steve pulled her close, maybe too quickly, because she let out a squeak, and then he kissed her very gently. Peggy wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in tighter.</p><p>When they parted finally both were a bit breathless. “I’m glad your alive,” Peggy swallowed, composing herself.</p><p>Steve looked down into her blushing, luminescent face and did the one think he could think of; Abruptly, and much to Peggy’s surprise, he swept her hands into his and started to make out some steps, right there on the street for anyone to see.</p><p>“What are you doing!” she protesting weakly, although her feet followed right along.</p><p>Steve twirled her with a grin. “Dancin’.”</p><p> </p><p> </p>
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